Brave New WorldAldous Huxley

Published in 1932

State standard 3.9 -- analyzing philosophical arguments in

literary works.

The title is an allusion to Shakespeare’s

The Tempest

O, wonder!How many goodly creatures are there here!How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,That has such people in't!

Genre: Science fiction, dystopia

A dystopia is a society that seeks perfection through control and conditioning.

⋆The opposite of dystopia is utopia, a perfect society.

⋆Why is this novel considered a Dystopia?

Satire and social commentary

A critique of our modern sensibilities

Science fiction is set in the future, but it satirizes conditions in the present.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

Human NatureWhat a piece of work is a man!

*Are people just a conglameration of chemical reactions and responses to stimuli?

*Are we more than the sum of our parts? *Eugenics: who can define it?

EUGENICS???

• Eugenics is the study and practice of selective breeding applied to humans, with the aim of improving the species. Widely popular in the early decades of the 20th century, it has largely fallen into disrepute after having become associated with Nazi Germany.

Totalitarianism and communism

BNW as political literature

• How are our minds manipulated by outside sources such as our government, media, and peers? Is this always “bad” for us?

• What function does the caste system serve?

Questions For Next Class:

ConsumerismBuy, Buy, Buy!

BNW questions the wisdom of consumerism and the illusion of instant gratification.

• What is psychological conditioning?

• Are we psychologically conditioned today?

TechnologyBetter living through chemicals!

Can science and technology save the human race?

Assignment • A 1-2 page paper about your

opinion on the question that was assigned to your

• small group.

• The paper must single-spaced and in MLA format.

• Due next Friday